AT&T built thousands of microwave relay towers as part of its Long Line communications network in the 50s and 60s. Although they haven’t been used as part of it in nearly forty years, many remain standing across Indiana. One imposing example is near Danville in the community of Montclair.
The Long Line tower at Montclair was built in 19631 and stands 185 feet tall2. When in use, it served as a hub of sorts, relaying signals to and from sites in Crawfordsville, Lebanon, Indianapolis, Lena, Cloverdale, and Wilbur3. KS-15676 horn antennae were mounted all over the place!
AT&T deaccessioned most of its towers around the year 2000 after the Long Lines program ended, . Today, the Montclair tower sits just behind Justin Dorsey Plumbing. It’s still used by AT&T as a cell phone tower4.
Sources Cited
1 Parcel 32-06-30-200-006.000-002 (2024). Office of the Assessor. Hendricks County [Danville]. Web. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
2 Transmitter Characteristics (n.d.). Antennasearch. Web. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
3 Long Lines Map and Information (n.d.). Web. Map. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
4 (See footnote 2).
